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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first air build: Aircraft Plant then Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor, making transports and scouts for allies while transitioning into fighters and occasional bombers over the whole game.

Usually transports first (78%)

#eco #air #team support · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Open 3 mex and wind, then drop Aircraft Plant early.
  2. Finish Aircraft Plant and start fighters for scouting and defense.
  3. Eat the Aircraft Plant once production needs outgrow it.
  4. Get Advanced Metal Extractor up to scale eco.
  5. Bring Fusion Reactor online and keep feeding transports, scouts, fighters to allies.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 1506 GAMES
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

  1. 1

    Up to the Aircraft Plant

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:26, middle half 1:14–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:30 · typical 1:26
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Aircraft1 Con aircraft
    Army
    • Valiant5 Valiant
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Finch1 Finch
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: shuriken (49%) · energy storage (45%) · converter (44%) · light transport (40%)

    By 5:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 3 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 26 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch
    3. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. FinchFinch
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Mex
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Con turret
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant ×2
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    26. HerculesLight transport
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine21Wind
    • Wind Turbine5Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 19 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (38%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 25 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 155 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:31 · typical 6:54
    3. Wind
    4. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    8. Wind
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. Wind ×5
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:17 · typical 10:53
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×4
    20. T2 converter
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:45
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. T2 converter
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    33. Wind ×3
    34. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Con turret
    37. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    38. Wind
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret
    42. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo sea
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    65. Wind
    66. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    67. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    68. Wind
    69. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    70. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    71. Wind
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2for Geo sea
    73. Wind
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    75. Wind
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2for Geo sea
    77. Wind
    78. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    79. Wind
    80. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    81. Wind
    82. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2for Geo sea
    83. Wind
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2for Geo sea
    85. Wind
    86. WhirlwindWhirlwindfor Geo sea
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant ×2
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant ×3
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant ×2
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant ×2
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant ×2
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant ×3
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant ×3
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant ×2
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant ×2
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant ×2
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant ×3
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×2
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×3
    152. Wind
    153. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    154. Wind ×2
    155. Fusion ReactorFusion

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Ecky9's (32 OS, 19/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:23 · in 72% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:37 · in 64% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:42 · in 46% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:23 · in 88% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:05 · in 96% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build, running totals by minute

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

01k2k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

1811 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002052051
5:0027635173
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air play wins less than half its games, with very low combat losses and kills since the role mostly supports rather than fights.

  • + Own metal lost stays very low, only 2701 by 15:00.
  • + Metal production reaches 25740 by 15:00, a strong support economy.
  • − Team wins under half of games (47%).
  • − Enemy metal destroyed stays low at 2097 by 15:00, showing little direct impact.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Ecky9

32.4 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

52 received units · includes a constructor
553 metal received · 31595 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:26Middle 50%: 1:14–1:35 · n=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas